News

The coronavirus pandemic hits developing countries at a time when they have already been struggling with unsustainable debt burdens for many years, as well as with rising health needs. UNCTAD calls for $1 trillion in debt relief.

Concerted and urgent multilateral action is needed to release developing countries from current debt traps.

An efficient public debt management system is imperative for sustainable economic growth, better governance and poverty alleviation

UNCTAD and the Government of Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on debt and development finance strategies.

President Michael Higgins of Ireland has called for a "new institutional architecture" in managing global debt in a keynote address delivered to 10th UNCTAD Debt Management Conference in Geneva on 23 November.

With a growing mountain of global debt remaining at the heart of a highly fragile worldwide economy, experts are meeting in Geneva at the 10th UNCTAD Debt Management Conference on 23–25 November in a context of heightened alerts about threats to future debt sustainability in many emerging and developing economies. Global debt reached an astounding $199 trillion in 2014, up from $21 trillion in 1984.

Since 2012, the national debt office of the Republic of the Congo has received support from UNCTAD's Debt Management and Financial Analysis System (DMFAS) Programme and this has resulted in five tangible benefits.

The Task Force on Finance Statistics sets methodological standards for statistics on external debt and on public sector debt. It is composed of nine international organizations of which UNCTAD is a member.